Insurance companies exhaust considerable resources estimating damage caused to property. When a claim has been reported on an insured property, the insurance company will generally send a representative to the site of the property to inspect the property and assess the damage. The representative typically identifies damage by visually inspecting the property and looking for signs of distress to the property. For example, the representative may look for indents on the surface of the property when assessing hail damage or missing shingles/siding when assessing wind damage to a building. Once damage has been identified, the representative assesses the damage by estimating how much it will cost to repair or replace the damaged property. The insurance company then issues payment to the insurance policy holder based on the estimated cost.
Generally speaking, representatives rely on a subjective inspection and assessment of the property. While representatives may use specialized tools in certain circumstances (e.g., using an infrared camera to detect water damage), the approach utilized for inspections and assessments tends to vary from one representative to the next. This especially holds true with regard to inexperienced representatives, who often do not have a good eye, relative to more experienced representatives, for identifying and assessing damage. Moreover, regardless of experience level, representatives risk overlooking relevant damage (especially damage that has resulted in subtle visual defects) or failing to document all relevant damage. Inconsistency is further exacerbated by environmental conditions that make inspection and assessment especially difficult. For example, irregular lighting conditions and various material types used for the property may make it difficult, even for an experienced representative, to accurately identify and assess damage to the property. In short, results from current assessment techniques tend to be inconsistent and unreliable.
In addition to providing inadequate results, a subjective inspection/assessment may expose a representative to dangerous conditions. For example, the representative exposes himself or herself to the risk of falling when assessing roof damage. Windy or rainy conditions, which are common in many locales, enhance this risk.